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Can you get your money back if you’re unhappy with a purchase you made at a store?

If not a refund, can you get a credit or an exchange?

Seems like many retailers are cutting back on these rights and not disclosing to customers what their policies are.

Even the big chain stores are less eager to give refunds than they once were. See what Lisa, a reader, has to say:

I have always bought from major department stores like The Bay and Sears with full confidence. So imagine my surprise when my mother inadvertently discovered that Sears neither refunds nor exchanges clearance items.

While the policy is written in small print on the back of sales receipts, it is not displayed in-store and it is not mentioned by sales people at the time of purchase.

By all means, stores have the right to set whatever policy they want, just as consumers have the right to choose where to spend their money.

But whatever the policy, it should be prominently displayed and/or discussed at the time of purchase so that consumers can make informed choices.

In my experience, stores are tightening up on returns and not giving enough information. They need to work on disclosure.

Meanwhile, customers have to ask about refunds, exchanges and credits. Another issue: Are there time limits?

Check the stories below to see how customers can get into trouble when they don’t ask and retailers don’t tell.

37 comments

Ellen, correct me if I’m wrong but story policy doesn’t trump consumer laws. Stores can’t sell you something that’s obviously and immediately defective then refuse to refund your money. If I were the person from Forever 21, I would be contacting the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services.

I don’t get it, people… are you that naive to believe that companies/stores taking your money will gladly give it back to you just because, at any given time, for any given reason?

You either arm yourself with a voice recorder (to have a record of every interaction carried out with store employees/management in case you need to dispute something), a number for Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services (again, if the terms of the sale & contract were not CLEARLY posted or given to you at the time of the purchase telling you otherwise, you have every right for a refund)… or simply, and in my opinion the best solution of the three, pay for everything with a credit card.

That way, if there is even a slightest dispute, call your credit card and dispute it with them – unauthorized transaction, etc, etc.

Not only will the store end up refunding you the money from that charge, but they’ll get slapped with the extra $20-40 chargeback fee too. Hasn’t failed once so far for me when it comes to ignorant managers/store employees.

I checked Forever 21’s Canadian website and looked up their refund policy. It states: “Please note that refunds are only available for online purchases returned by mail.” I searched all over the Canadian website and couldn’t find anything about Forever 21’s return policy for stores.

I think you should write a letter to Forever 21’s headquarters in California –

2001 S. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90058

Phone: 213-741-5100

Let them know that you will be filing a complaint with Ontario’s Minister of Consumer Services. With any luck, Forever 21 will believe they are dealing with a powerful government agency similar to their state’s Attorney General’s office. You just might get a refund or a store credit.

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This evening, I also spent some time perusing the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services website. It appears that there aren’t any disclosure laws in Ontario. Stores are not required to post their refund/exchanges policies. The onus lies on the consumer to ask [get it in writing] the store about its return policy.

The Ministry has a “Consumer Beware List”. I checked a LOT of businesses, but almost every business I looked at, “had failed to respond” to the complaint. Furthermore, I didn’t see where the Ministry had taken any administrative actions or laid charges against any of the companies on the beware list, with the exception of a few collection agencies and a business in the animal category. Does the ministry go after stores and companies, or just inform them that a consumer has lodged a complaint?

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James –

The Ontario Ministry of Consumer Service website clearly states:

“Stores and other suppliers are not legally required to offer refunds or exchanges.”

And, once you’ve signed a credit card receipt or authorized a purchase on the phone (that includes holding a hotel room on a credit card), I can tell you from experience, most credit companies will not remove the transaction. The transaction is considered legit. As long as you authorized the purchase, you’re on the hook for dealing with the company that sold you the shoddy merchandise or service.

I called the Ministry this morning. That 10 day cooling off period is ONLY for certain contracts – for contracts signed in your home for a service or product over $50, for a gym membership, and a few other service and goods contracts (actual written contracts).

The Ministry advised me, that the 10 day cooling off period does NOT include purchases for everyday merchandise, such as clothing, home goods, etc. that has been paid for with a credit card or cash, for that matter.

Furthermore, I called my credit card company (TD Visa). They will NOT issue a credit unless the merchandise is clearly defective (case by case basis). They will consider issuing a credit if the bill clearly states that the consumer has a right to return the merchandise within a certain time frame.

If a return policy is not clearly stated on the bill, the consumer is on the hook for attempting to get a refund. The credit card company will not go to bat.

Finally, weren’t you just lambasting someone else in another thread for using credit? Using a credit card to pay for something IS using credit. Whether you pay your bill in full or carry a balance is moot.

I purchased 3 Heys Luggage items from the Shopping Channel on April 2, 2010. I kept one of them and returned the other 2 (with a shipping label provided by TSC) for refund.

The guaranteed turnaround for refunds is 7-10 days after receipt of return. The return was received by Heys on the 13th of April. It is now May 13 and there is no sign of a refund.

After dozens of phone calls to their “Customer Service” department, I have been outright LIED to not only by customer service agents (“No supervisor is available now, they’re all in meetings”) as well as supervisors (the latest one is Anna, who promised me a refund this past Sunday, of course yet to be seen).

Not one person has volunteered to look into this issue and take the responsibility of helping me out with something as trivial as this. We’re only talking about $70, but that’s not the point.

The point is that after endless phone calls and total lack of interest on the part of TSC, I am still with no refund, no proof of any progress on the issue, and lies from supervisors.

I phoned back today to ask to speak to Anne, since she called me this past Sunday to guarantee that she herself was processing the refund/return. It’s now Thursday and when calling back yet one more time, I was told no refund was issued, there was no movement on the return and, to boot, Anna was “busy”, so I had to leave a message.

In the past, I’ve had to wait sometimes 48 hours before I get a return phone call. This time it was Veronica who told me she’d leave a message for Anna.

I have advised them that I am reporting this to the Toronto Star. It apparently doesn’t have any affect on their desire to make me a satisfied customer. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

As someone who works retail and also hates it , I personally understand your complaints. But realistically speaking the way you all talk and what you complain for is ridiculous . There are many countries in the world that don’t even have a refund policy. I don’t even think this should be a “right”. If anything it’s a privalege . As for the person complaining about Zara and losing her receipt, I think people should go back to the very old ways where you try things on, decide and purchase . There are clearly more important issues than customers trying to be put on a pedastal, trying to get “exceptions” made . There are many beautiful citizens out there who respect these policies and don’t create a fuss. Of course it’s horrible to be in this position nevertheless it’s your own responsibility, not the cashier, the manager, headoffices or the ministry. Be smart and make the purchase !

I am writing to warn other consumers about the appaling customer service at Zara at Rideau Centre in Ottawa. But first let me place this complaint in context.

While I agree with Rebecca’s post above when she states that consumers should always “be smart (sic) make the purchase”, I disagree when she infers that stores take a hit from returns.

I have worked in retail, and the post-Christmas holiday period is painfully tedious, not to mention busy and frustrating (especially if you work on commission).

However, retail businesses benefit enormously from providing flexibility to consumers, as the story about my friend in New York illustrates (below).

Back to my complaint. Yesterday evening I bought two Zara Man shirts size medium on sale. These were gifts for my brother and father in Brazil.

Since my brother recently lost weight, I had asked my sister-in-law to confirm his size, and she mistakenly told me it was medium, so I went with her advice.

While I was warned by the cashier at Zara that the sale was final, no returns, and my receipt was duly stamped, I was not concerned at the moment because I knew I wanted them.

Alas, when I returned home I had an email from my sister-in-law telling me my brother’s size was actually large. To remedy the problem, early this morning I made my way to the store soon after it opened, afraid that because of the sale I may run out of choices in size large.

I was completely taken aback when I was told I could not exchange the shirt for a size large.

To boot, I was informed by all the cashiers that it is Zara’s “international policy” never to exchange sale items.

Now, of course it said “final sale” on the receipt. And the shirt was only $30. If it had been a bigger purchase, of course I would have paid more attention. But I think that analysis misses the point.

There is customer service that is illegal, and there is customer service that is extremely distasteful. My case is certainly not the former, and it wasn’t even much money. Many other posts on this blog tell worse stories, for sure.

But I have shopped at Zara in New York and in Brasilia, Brazil, where my family lives — and I know better than to believe that this is Zara’s “international policy”. If it is, other stores are flaunting it to provide better customer service!

The friend I stay with in NY lives a couple of blocks from a Zara store. Like any other cost-conscious spendthrift, she only buys merchandise on sale — yet she never even tries it on at the store. She takes it home, then decides what she wishes to keep.

She cannot return the items, but she can always exchange them, and just keeps store credit for future purchases if there is nothing else she wants right that moment. (I would argue, as I mentioned above, that this works to Zara’s benefit!)

My brothers in Brazil also buy clothing at Zara during sales. One of my brothers shops there so frequently, he actually gets phone calls from the store letting him know when sales are coming up. They never had problems exchanging anything, as long as items were returned within 7 days.

And I have been to Zara in Brasilia and bought items on sale, changed my mind, and never had any problems exchanging anything.

With an international chain such as Zara, I was surprised to hear that it was “final sale” when I made my purchase at the Ottawa store on Friday evening, but I expected that meant simply no returns, which is what I was told, and it is what I have experienced in every other Zara I have been to.

When I explained this to the staff in Ottawa, I was told that was not true. When I told them it was bad customer service to imply that I was lying, I was told that “Zara’s customer service is their products”. Nice! So what is the staff there for? Install automated cashiers instead.

I had never had a bad experience at Zara before. I hope the Canadian branch of the store catches up to the customer service standards in other countries.

Meanwhile, I will go back to Benetton (where “final sale” still lets me exhange sizes), to Club Monaco (where sales are never final), not to mention Winners, where I can always get a store credit, even months after the purchase.

At Rideau Centre, where Club Monaco’s sales racks are right next door, Benetton down the hall is offering 50% off on everything, and there is the prospect of a quick trip to Winners — I hope others will join me in giving the boot to Zara.

As for my brother’s shirt, I will replace the gift with a purchase from Club Monaco, which is better quality anyway. It may be a bit more, but it saves quite a bit of headache.

On Dec. 1, 2009, I purchased a Kitchen Aid Mixer through the Shopping Channel (TSC), offering an additional $50 rebate from the manufacturer. I received the merchandise with the warranty card only. I filled out and mailed the warranty card.

Thinking that TSC will be responsible for sending the information to Kitchen Aid about the rebates, I waited until April 2010 and then I gave TSC a call. I was informed by their staff that he would help me out to get it.

Two months passed and I called them again. I was again advised that the first employee was dealing with this. On my third call recently (Aug. 25), I was asked if I filled in a rebate form. I informed them that I did not get a rebate form when I received the package.

This third person was telling me that I should have called Kitchen Aid and was obviously putting the blame on me, the customer. If I was informed, or they were up front while doing their sales talk on air and advising customers what to do, then this would not have been a problem.

I was given the Kitchen Aid number and this number I called gave me another number and that number told me that I should call Kitchen Aid directly because she cannot do anything for me because the promo has already expired.

In the first place, there was no proper disclosure or advice from TSC to its customers about getting the rebate. I know that TSC is owmed by Rogers and this company has shortchanged me in so many ways on its services, which is another topic.

I will never buy from, or even watch, TSC and use any of Rogers affiliated companies, plus no more Kitchen Aid appliances in my house.

It looks like The Shopping Channel is referred to quite a number of times, so I now know I’m not alone in my negative experience with them.

My situation involved returning an item (within their stipulated 30 days time frame) using one of their prepaid postage labels. That was mid-July 2010, but as of mid-September the returned item still has not reached the Shopping Channel.

And despite numerous requests to The Shopping Channel to consider providing the refund for the lost package, they refused and simply kept repeating (over and over and over and over) that it was my fault for not keeping the Tracking Number.

The end result was I was out of luck and out over $100. Because I didn’t save the Tracking Number on the returned package, I was told by both Canada Post and The Shopping Channel there was nothing either of them could do to help me, even though someone, somewhere along the line lost the package.

When I asked the Customer Service Agents to speak to someone in a senior management position to re evaluate my issue, the Customer Service Agents always declined and said there wasnâ€™t anyone they could transfer me to. The best I could get was transferred to someone called a â€œFloor Supervisorâ€ who never returned my voice mail message. Nice.

I do quite a bit of online shopping and my experience with the majority of the stores is they will bend over backwards and do whatever it takes, including making exceptions in order to assist and keep their customers (Landâ€™s End is the absolute best for service), but not The Shopping Channel.

As I told them, I will never shop with them again and will tell all my friends and family not to as well. They were not at all concerned by this and told me it was my choice.

In summary, donâ€™t shop with them, since there are many, many, many other much better stores to shop at.

I just went to XScargo and from the start it was a bad experience… I started on the web, found the items I wanted and checked the number of items in stock using the web page which seemed to work well. However, in the store I could not find many ‘cheaper’ items and when I asked, the stock boy told me they son’t waste time updating the stock numbers so the web is way out of date! So anyway… I purchased a hair dryer, when I plugged it in the thing started and stopped on its own with the switch in the off position! The coils got red hot…defective and dangerous! I bought a wind up flashlight, I can wind it forever and it does not light…defective. I bought a couple items that seem to work. The main complaint, they are selling defective products (in the hope people won’t complain?) and they are bate and switching, advertising cheaper products and placing only the more expensive ones on the floor… not happy, we’ll see how the returns go, if they will do it.

We just bought our daughter a coat from Costa Blanca in Conestoga Mall, Waterloo, for her birthday.

Before we removed the tags, we realised there was a big split down the back that was frayed and could not be sewn up. So with tags still attached & with the receipt, my daughter went to exchange the coat.

She spoke to the “manager” who brought a coat from the back and said it was the last one in her size. As she proceeded to put it back into the bag, she told her she was going to make it a final sale!

How can she make this a final sale when my daughter just took back a faulty coat to be exchanged?

My daughter looked over the coat and couldn’t see anything wrong with it, so took it. Later when trying it on, she realised this coat was faulty too and the buttons could not be done up because of the improper positioning of the belt.

Now she is stuck with a faulty coat and a receipt stamped final sale.

I phoned the store and spoke to a very helpful assistant named Julie, who found us the coat in my daughter’s size at another Costa Blanca store in Kitchener and explained to that store about the final sale receipt. They exchanged the coat for my daughter, no problem.

My daughter put the coat on the next day to wear to school and found it had a rip in the seam in the same place as before. She again took it back to the store in Conestoga Mall, where the same manager again refused her a refund or credit note.

Your disparaging remarks towards retail staff is deplorable. Staff must adhere to company policy as this is their job, and are constrained by a code of conduct as well as policy and procedure. While all staff are not stellar, they are the face of countless companies, are the first to be yelled at, first to be blamed, and rarely praised. Rather than place blame on staff, educate yourself before purchase! They did not write the policy!

I understand your frustrations and feel for those who have actual grievances, however as a retail manager I cannot express how often customers come in and rather than being polite, they are immediately hostile (which in my experience, is when a customer knows they are in the wrong). I beg you to understand that you get what you give. We are remarkably helpful when you are respectful, as well if you don’t like the answer, take it to head office, don’t yell at us, you look crazy.

Return policy has had to become more stringent in the past few years as a direct result of fraudulent returns, returned worn merchandise, shrinkage from in store damages(yes you who ripped a hole in a garment and left it for someone else to discover, or opened the bag of cookies to ‘see what they were like’), shrinkage from stolen merchandise, etc. This loss results in a higher bottom line, increasing the cost of goods for everyone.

This thread’s focus on company’s fault fails to realize consumers are also not all good as well.

Having read some of the posts about Zara, I just wanted to chip in my opinion.

I worked for them very briefly in one of the retail stores and decided to leave after the way I was treated by management. Sorry for the person who thinks that all sales people are saints, but they’re not.

I was told that I was not to help customers as “the clothes sell themselves”. Never mind the fact that most of the clothes are of such poor quality that they fall apart (in the store most of the time, and no, don’t blame the customers for all of it, that’s part of allowing people to try it on.)

I have little patience for stores that don’t offer returns and have poor customer service. I’d rather spend my money at places like Sephora, online at Modcloth, Bath and Body Works, Gap, and Lululemon (which will take back an item even after 2 years if it’s damaged and replace it with a store credit, because they stand behind their products). They actually want customers to come back.

What these other places fail to realize is that once people get burned they don’t forget. And furthermore, in an age of social media, people all over the world will hear about it!

Kudos to the companies that correct their mistakes (like Canadian Tire) but it’s up to consumers to take a stand.

And for all those posters who say, be smart, stop whining, what do you expect it’s a business…well, you’re right, it is a business, and we need to choose where we put our hard earned money…but as for whining…well, this is the sharing of information…we all need to be informed consumers.

My grandmother bought me an early Christmas gift from there. I needed a new dress jacket so I told her I would like a beige jacket size medium.

She asked what stores I usually shop at and I said Zara and H&M might have some. She got me one from Zara, beige, medium…. But it was men’s!!!! She got it from the women’s section but someone must have placed it there.

It still has the tags, but my grandma can’t find the receipt. I’m not even asking for a refund! Just an exchange! And they won’t do it!!!

Now I’m stuck with a brand new men’s jacket that will more than likely go to Goodwill.

Thanks a lot, Zara, you’ve lost a long time customer and I’ll make sure all my friends and family all know about your crappy service. Also, I’m sure my grandma will be delighted to hear about your disgusting policy.

The Embellished Room in the Beach, they do have other locations in Toronto. Buyer beware! Cheap prices, cheap attitude.

The owners do not honour exchanges or credit notes as you would come to normally expect from reputable retailers. Not only was the owner rude and aggressive and threatening, he was unethical!

I bought two pieces of clothing last week. I did not have time to try on but I was assured by the sales associate that I could exchange or get a credit note but no refunds. No refunds, no problem.

Bottom line I just wanted to replace two items for two other items. Tags still on and receipt in hand you think this process would be a walk in the park. NOPE.

The very sweet sales associate called her boss to let him know that she had an exchange situation on her hands. She was on and off the phone with him for over 20 minutes.

In the meantime, I am trying on replacement items in the change room with no assistance. There were 3 other shoppers in the store who also were not being served as a result of what could only be assumed as a tongue lashing by her boss.

By the time I made it to the counter to exchange my items, she was trembling and said she had to call her boss back and that she was very nervous. I said don’t be, I’ll talk to him.

Here’s the rub. When I bought both items they were full price $29.99 each, this was December 9th, when I returned today Dec 15th one of the items was now on sale for 25% off.

The owner wanted me to now pay the difference on an exchange. Meaning yes I could in fact exchange my items but I would now owe him money because he had reduced the rate on one of my items that I previously purchased at full price.

I told him that that was absurd and that it made no business sense at all. He proceeded to yell and verbally abuse me over the phone.

I repeated over and over again that I had no interest in arguing, he continued to rant endlessly. Ultimately I had to end the conversation by hanging up.

The poor sales associate was shaking and told me she wanted to cry. I told her not to cry and I told her that her boss is a bully, she nodded in agreement. Poor thing.

So original garments in hand, I really don’t care about $60.00 or $7.49. I care about being treated properly as a consumer and a person.

I suspect this is not the first time this has happened as they have crazy fine print on their receipt to this effect. That is NOT discussed, it is displayed and printed on the receipt but in such fine print that you could barely notice and the sales associate assured me there would be no problem because I asked! I’m off to call the Better Business Bureau!

The money is not the point, it’s about being treated fairly as a consumer and as a person. The right thing to do is not to waste the sales associates time or mine, Honour the exchange, maintain a good reputation.

Oh and did I mention that the 20 minutes on the phone fearing for her job with her boss, she could have sold at least 3 items at $29.99 to the customers who were not being served!

And yes she did tell him she had to go because she had customers in the shop but he continued to prattle on. Guess what? He would have had a much better profit margin other than worrying about my $7.49. Common sense!

By the way, in case this very nice sales associate is reading this review, you do not have to put up with that kind of fear or treatment from a boss!

I could find you ten other jobs in the Beach where the employer will be kind and gentle and invest the time and energy supporting and mentoring you instead of intimidating and threatening you.

Bullying is bullying, at school, at work or at home, it’s never right!

I purchased a Macbook Air laptop from the apple store at 50 Ridandeau Street here in Ottawa eight months ago and was forced to make eleven trips to the store to consult the “geniuses” at the genius bar. The eleven visits all took place in the month of January 2013. The “geniuses” were extremely rude and have no respect for me or my time. They replaced the logic board THREE TIMES, after each visit they would keep my computer fire three to five

Had a terrible experience at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory tonight.

My husband and I stopped in for a little indulgence to celebrate his birthday. “On Special” tonight was peanut butter fudge for 50% off. We bought 2 packages, one for us to share and one to take home to the kids.

As we left the store, we opened one package, only to find the fudge was beyond stale: rock hard and tasteless. I immediately turned around and went back into the store and explained to the fellow behind the counter that the product was extremely stale. He explained that was why it was marked down by 50%.

I asked how he could sell the product for any amount of money when it belonged in the trash. He then pointed out that there is a no-refund policy.

I asked where this was posted and he said it was on the bottom of the receipt. (I don’t know how a store can enforce a policy when it is only communicated to the customer after the transaction!)

When I read the receipt, it states “Due to food safety concerns, we cannot accept refunds or exchanges on non-defective products”. I reasoned that the product was clearly defective; it was inedible.

The guy finally agreed to exchange the unopened package for another product. So, in the end, we exchanged one $3.99 item for a transaction that cost me $9.

I can’t believe this establishment allows such business practices. When I buy milk from the grocery store that is past its best before date, they exchange it with no questions asked.

I ordered some clothing from Zara online. While I was trying to return some items by mail, I realized one of the clothing items didn’t come with the package but was charged to me.

I contacted Zara online and by phone. After an “investigation”, they concluded that nothing was wrong and I can’t get a refund/credit or a replacement item. I simply was charged for an item that I didn’t receive at all.

Last year, I bought an air gun for my son at a Canadian Tire store near my workplace. Two days later, my son asked me to return it as it was too heavy for him.

I took it to the Canadian Tire near my home with the receipt. I was told as it’s a different branch, they could give me a refund on a gift card. I accepted as I shop there frequently. It was for over $300.

I somehow misplaced the card and went to Canadian Tire couple of times to ask for help, but was told they could not do anything. During this time, I shopped at this store frequently, buying bicycles, kitchen electronics and hardware.

Today while going through my closet, I found the card. I needed to buy a car battery and I asked the cashier to charge the card.

To my surprise, I was told it had only a one-year life and had expired. I could not believe and asked again, as I was never told by the store manager when she offered me the refund card.

I am feeling robbed as I did not do anything wrong. I did not try to cheat the store. They have my money for one year that I did not use. They should pay me interest on it, rather than taking my money away.